In Nature cats eat their prey whole. Cats are naturally equipped with strong jaws and very sharp teeth that are made for ripping and tearing meat, and crunching through the pliable raw bones of small animals. They also have very strong stomach acids, as well as very short digestive tracts that are made to efficiently process raw meat and bone. If you have ever seen a cat consuming a mouse it has caught,
you'll understand how perfectly natural it is for these carnivorous animals to eat whole raw foods.

For cats, eating the way Nature designed them to eat fosters a myriad of physical, physiological and psychological health benefits that an unnatural diet of cooked, canned, kibbled or even ground raw food simply does not.

The form of the foods we feed our cats is key. The closer the food we feed is to its whole, unprocessed, natural state, the better it is for our cats.

Better Oral Health

Cats fed a prey model diet of whole raw foods are compelled to use their jaws and teeth for the purpose they were designed. This slicing and tearing action of ripping apart whole, raw meats and raw meaty bones provides a scrubbing and flossing action that helps to keep gums healthy, teeth clean and white, and jaws strong. And a healthy mouth is vital to the overall health of any animal.

The cat on the left, which has been fed a steady diet of commercial pet food, has extremely poor oral health. This animal is suffering from a painful case of periodontal disease and has discolored teeth encrusted with tartar. These conditions are a direct result of eating nothing but extremely unnatural highly processed pet food for an extended period of time. The cat on the right has been fed a diet of whole raw food and as a result, it enjoys excellent oral health. This is because the scrubbing action that occurs when this animal consumes a much more natural diet of whole raw meats and raw meaty bones does wonders to keep its gums strong, healthy and pink and its teeth clean and white.

So many cats have been feed a steady diet of canned or kibbled pet “food” for so long, that today an unprecedented number of them are developing tooth and gum disease. And because a cat with poor oral health harbors a mouthful of unhealthy bacteria, this is a major contributing factor to a myriad of other, more serious health issues and diseases. So called chronic stinky ‘kitty breath’ is not just unpleasant, it’s a signal that a cat is not being fed properly. Feeding a prey model diet, which is based on whole, raw meaty bones and carcasses, often reduces or even eliminates this problem.

Improved Digestion

Feeding whole raw meaty bones, which require gnawing and jawing to consume, means that cats must do some work to process those foods with their teeth and jaws before it’s swallowed. This working of the food not only allows ample time for the cat’s naturally acidic gastric juices to be adequately excreted, but in fact actually stimulates the excretion of these juices, giving the cat’s system the best chance of properly digesting her meal. The increased digestibility of whole raw foods also makes for smaller, less smelly stools that are completely biodegradable.

By contrast, commercial, and even pre-ground raw foods, require no such time or effort to consume on the part of the cat, and so are generally gulped down, eliminating the necessary time it takes for the stomach to properly prepare to receive the food. This gulping of food can result in an improperly digested meal that may end up as an unpleasant revisiting of that meal on a carpet or sofa
in the form of vomit, or perhaps even an abnormal stool.

In addition, because commercial pet food often contains so many starchy, plant based ingredients like corn, soy and rice, that are completely unnatural for obligate carnivores like cats to eat, it isn’t nearly as digestible for cats as raw food. As a result, the consumption of such manufactured products often makes for unnaturally large, extremely smelly stools that take a very long time to decompose.

Awakening Your Cat's Inner Carnivore

Eating whole raw foods often requires some strategy on the part of the cat. Cats generally need to develop certain skills when it comes to eating RMB’s. At times they may need to use their paws, or even physically reposition themselves in order to approach their food differently so as to get a better grip on it. The challenges offered by feeding whole foods provide the kind of mental and emotional stimulation that no commercial or pre-ground food ever can.

The mental, psychological and physical stimulation of tackling large, intact RMB's provides such a variety of invaluable, intangible benefits - not only in terms of good health, but also with regards to the general, all around well being of our furry friends - that they can hardly even begin to be described. One can only really begin to appreciate such subtle, beneficial effects on our feline companions when we start feeding them the way Nature designed them to be fed, and in fact the way Nature herself has been feeding our pet cats’ forebears, as well as their wild cousins, for eons uncounted.

The Many Health Advantages of Raw Whole Foods

A natural scrubbing and flossing action upon teeth and gums

Clean, strong, white teeth and strong jaws

Healthy, pink gums

A reduction, or even elimination, of 'kitty breath'

Improved overall oral health

Increased digestibility of meals

Smaller, more compact, less smelly and completely biodegradable stools

Although a diet of whole raw foods based on Nature's prey model is the most natural, healthy way for our carnivorous companion animals to eat, it is not a cure-all for any or all ailments, nor should it be considered as such. If your pet is ill you are advised to seek out the services of a professional pet health care provider. The material contained on this website is the author's opinion and is shared for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing written herein is intended or should be considered as veterinary advice, and the author assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse by the reader of this information.